The first stop on our cross country trip was Portland, Or. We were house sitting for a week which gave us some time to relax before our trek across the country, and there were a couple of places we wanted to visit before we left the beautiful Pacific Northwest.

The first was Mt. St. Helens - 35 years after the eruption. Even though it was not a great photo op, the history behind it was really interesting. There is a museum and a documentary film telling the whole story.

As you can see from the pictures of the mountain before and after the eruption, the blast left a gigantic hole in the side of the mountain, not to mention the debris field that goes on for miles.

Some tiny plants have begun to grow again, but hardly any growth occurs even after 35 years. Deep gorges show where the path of the lava flows ran for miles leaving everything in its path devastated.